Going Against Your Instincts

1 Samuel 6:10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves.

Sometimes we need to do things that are against our instincts. We push against what feels natural, normal. We do what we normally, habitually would never do. And we all have habits, instincts that motivate us every day.
Even cows have instincts. They hear the calling of their calfs and they move to bring relief from their offspring. And you don’t want to be the fence in the way of that instinct. Cows will stop and almost nothing to get back to their calf.
So in our story we need to catch up. Israel has been in rebellion one more time. (That is the repeated theme of the Old Testament.) And the LORD comes to their rescue. (Also a theme!) The Philistines have defeated Israel in battle and stolen the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites. It was the place where the LORD’s presence manifested itself repeatedly in a pillar of cloud and fire. And the Philistines knew this.
But foolishly they thought they could control this power for themselves, so they took the ark and carried it off to bring them the power they heard was present with Israel in the past. But the power didn’t show up in the way they expected.
Instead of blessing and might, the Ark brought plague and curse to them. And after several rounds of this negative consequences they decide to send the Ark back to Israel. But they want to make sure that it was the Ark, and the God who manifested Himself at the Ark, was the one responsible for the troubles they were in.
So in comes the cows. They get two cows who have just calved to pull the cart on which they will put the Ark. Every instinct of the cows will be to turn and go back to their calves. And the Philistines know this. So if the cows go to Israelite territory, against all their instinct, then they will know it was the LORD’s hand against them.
And this is exactly what happens. The cows return mooooooooing all the way. They want to return, but the LORD is pulling them to Israel.
When was the last time you resisted your instinct because the LORD was pulling on you, calling you to do something out of the ordinary? Would you resist your instinct and follow Him?